November 30, 2012

Rossi Rides Galore!

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Some times, it’s feast or famine, particularly when it comes to waiting for Minichamps to work their magic. This November, perhaps paying homage to Thanksgiving, it was feast, as no less than four different Valentino Rossi-related bikes showed up in time for the holiday season. Earlier this month, we received his 2010 Yamaha from the Laguna Seca circuit, which was soon followed up by a pair of Honda super bikes that saw action in the 8-hour Suzuka Endurance race. Lastly, there’s the 2011 Ducati Desmosedici mount, which blew out in rapid fashion and is currently on back order awaiting the arrival of more bikes some time in December.

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We’ve also received a healthy dose of classic bikes, including a restock of the 1939 Triumph Speed Twin and 1972 MV Agusta 750S, plus a cache of BSA Rocket 3s in red. A blue version is expected in December. More bikes seem to be on the horizon, turning this fourth quarter into a bounty of motorcycle goodness.

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Digging Up History

Spitfire

With fewer and fewer vintage WWII aircraft remaining in flying condition, it comes as a bit of a surprise that there could be as many as 60 Supermarine Spitfires added to the fray by the Spring of 2013. According to the BBC, an expedition, funded by Wargaming.net, is setting off to Burma in the New Year to locate the whereabouts of as many as five dozen Spitfires that may be buried in the mud during the latter stages of the Second World War. According to David Cundall, lead expeditionary on the project, the Mark XIV Spitfires were buried by Lord Mountbatten while still in their original shipping crates at the end of the war as hostilities were winding down. More information on the story can be found here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20515659

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The Future of Naval Aviation

X47B

We’ve all seen the videos of carrier operations, with their harrowing night landings, steam-powered catapult launches and “Tom Cruise”-conjuring fighter pilot briefings and debriefings. That could all be a thing of the past as the US Navy begins testing a “ginormous” UAV dubbed the X-47B currently embarked upon the USS Truman. Boasting a 62-foot wingspan, stealthy characteristics, and an unknown ordnance loadout, the X-47B will likely be paired up with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in the years ahead as our primary seaborne deterrence to aggression overseas. You can find more information on the X-47B here:

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Hobby Master Keeps 'em Coming

HA2510Showing no signs of abatement, Hobby Master debuted their April 2013 releases late yesterday. No new toolings were shown off and the number of new introductions is certainly way down compared with previous monthly announcements. Still, there are several noteworthy new products in the mix, including a F-105D Thunderchief in southeast Asian camouflage, an F-16CG Fighting Falcon and a German Opel Blitz that was attached to the 8th Gebirgsjager Division then deployed to Bologna, Italy. We hope to have all of the new items up on our web site this weekend.

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Hobby Master Keeps ’em Coming

HA2510Showing no signs of abatement, Hobby Master debuted their April 2013 releases late yesterday. No new toolings were shown off and the number of new introductions is certainly way down compared with previous monthly announcements. Still, there are several noteworthy new products in the mix, including a F-105D Thunderchief in southeast Asian camouflage, an F-16CG Fighting Falcon and a German Opel Blitz that was attached to the 8th Gebirgsjager Division then deployed to Bologna, Italy. We hope to have all of the new items up on our web site this weekend.

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